30 Day Blog Challenge

Today I am starting this 30 day blog challenge. Each day you discuss something different about yourself/family. Today's topic is to introduce yourself and put 15 interesting facts about yourself. I don't know how "interesting" they will be as that term is all in the eye of the beholder but I will do my best.

Introduction:

Hello! :) My name is Janelle, I am 30 years old, and I endeavor to love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I am married to a wonderful man, Eddie, who impresses me daily with his ability to handle so much in life. He is an awesome husband and a fantastic father. He loves our children so much and can communicate with them in an amazing way. Back to me, I stay home with our children, which is my "dream job." We have a 3 year old boy, Jalon and a 4 month old girl, Gabrielle. I enjoy shopping (I should say bargain shopping as I only buy stuff if it's on sale or a great deal), watching movies, and some decorating (when I have the time). I am a pretty simple girl who is content with the simple things in life. With God, my hubby, kids, and friends I feel truly blessed.

1. I love people. I am not as social as my husband and even come from being a pretty shy/quiet girl but I love being around people. I feel refreshed after spending quality time with friends. I love helping others and I enjoy learning from others.

2. I love wine. Nuff said.

3. I love coffee. I am proud of myself for kicking the habit though. I can drink a casual cup a couple times a week and that's enough for me.

4. I think seafood is gross! I mean, really gross. Just ask my husband who played a prank on me, tricking me to eat some. Not funny!

5. I love the beach.

6. I don't like sand.

7. I went to 9 different schools.

8. I'm not a good swimmer

9. I go a little nutty if my house isn't clean. Again, ask my husband.

10. French food is amazing.

11. I love the outdoors.

12. My wedding day was one of the greatest days of my life.

13. The days I gave birth to my children are a close second.

14. I don't wear shorts.

15. It should not take someone this long to come up with 15 interesting facts about themself.

A Busy, Wonderful Life

It has been a long time since I have been on here. I actually don't spend much time on the computer in general. I am pretty good about keeping Facebook updated with photos but that's about it. Something has got to give when trying to be a good momma...and this is one of the things that had to give, for a while. I am going to endeavour to update it more often.
Our family is doing great though. Eddie has a new position at work. He moved from a financial analyst to a management transaction support lead. He will managing a team. He's so good with people, this position is right up his alley.

Jalon is doing well too. He's my big helper. He is even starting to take on a few little chores. It blesses him and builds his confidence when he can do something successfully that is helpful to the family. He's been in a acting class for the past few weeks now. He really enjoys it and there will be a little play they do in a couple weeks. I'll have to record that and put it on here. Jalon was also a part of filming for a tv commercial. I'll record that too :)

Gabrielle is getting big...well, bigger :) She seems so tiny to me and definitely is compared to Jalon at this age. But I think her size is about average or a little below. She's a happy girl though. She smiles and talks often. Her sleep seems to be a little more predictable the past couple of days. She has been sleeping for 7-8 hours at a time. I couldn't be more thankful for that! We don't nap during the week much anymore so this helps me to get through the day (and not be a grump :)

I am doing good too...I am almost back to pre-preggo size. A few more pounds to go. Some of my old jeans even fit (with a little muffin top, woah, TMI :) Life is good. It's definitely busier than ever but I wouldn't have it any other way. Oh, a side note, are we the only ones that wonder what we used to do with our time before we had kids...I thought we were busy then.

Attached are a couple recent pictures...

Gabrielle Joy is here

And she has been for 4 weeks now. We are all doing great and adjusting well to a family of four. Jalon just loves his sister and we couldn't be happier about that. He's a big 3 year old now and growing like a weed. Gabrielle started smiling a week ago...I've been trying to catch it on camera. She slept a 5 1/2 hour stretch last night. Woo Hoo! Here is a video of her; she doesn't do a whole lot yet :-) But fills our heart with love and joy.

ABC Easy As 123

In our house we are big fans of Michael Jackson's music. Jalon is starting to recognize when Michael Jackson comes on...here's a video of his wild dancing to some good music.

Jalon's Hobby

Update

Well, I am about a week and a half from my due date and I sure thought this baby would be here by now :) But they do come on their own timing so I'm not that surprised. Thankfully, I have felt pretty good the past couple days so I'm not as anxious as I had been. I know the timing will be the best when she gets here. We are ready for her to make her grand entrance....nursery is set up, her laundry is washed, bassinet and pack and play are set up, bags are packed...just waiting on her to make a move.

Jalon is doing great. He keeps asking when his baby sister will get here. He told his grandma the other day "Baby sisters take a long time to get here." He is going to be a great big brother and keeps telling me all the things he wants to do for her and with her. I love it.

Little Jalon's heart blesses us so much. We can already see his care for people. Whenever we go to parks or are in settings with other kids, he looks for opportunities to help his "friends" (all kids he calls "friends"...even if he's never talked to them. He loves being around other kids. This social trait comes from his Daddy ;) If he doesn't see something to help with, he'll ask "do you need any help?" Of course, he's still a child, where foolishness is bound, but we love his giving, sweet heart.

Here are a few current photos and videos.

38 Weeks

Thank You God!

Today we were in a store looking for purple paint and I couldn't find it. Jalon stopped in the middle of the store, closed his eyes and said, "Thank you God for finding the purple paint. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." And then continued walking. I, on the other hand, stood in my tracks, in awe of our wonderful son. This may seem small or silly to some, but to me, this was a testimony of all the work we have put into our child, teaching him to love God and to go to Him first in all we do. No matter how big or small our problem is, God is there to take care of us and show us our way. And that He did. Within a minute, we found the paint. It was a teaching moment for me to show Jalon that God hears our prayers. As we walked away, looking for the next thing on our list, Jalon said out loud, "Thank you God for helping us find the purple paint." I love days like this that show us that all our hard work is paying off to shape a wonderful young man. Thank you God!!!